Attributes of meaningful learning experiences in an outdoor education program

This phenomenological study sought to identify the attributes of meaningful learning experiences as found in an outdoor education program. Thirteen students in the Wilderness Writing Program at Brigham Young University were the sample of this study. Their participation in outdoor recreational activities and their reflections about their experiences were analyzed. Through written journal entries, group discussions, observations, and writing assignments, a qualitative analysis identified attributes that occurred in their meaningful learning experiences. Meaningful learning was defined as a realization of a person's weaknesses, strengths, and potentials. This realization came through experiences with attributes of a degree of perceived risk, which led to a feeling of awkwardness, followed by a purifying process, or sublimation. A reflective period allowed for reconstruction of a person's view of himself or herself and this was closely tied with feedback from others in the group.     

Infants’ Social Experiences in Three African Sociocultural Contexts

This study introduces a peri‐urban context of poverty to the study of child development in Africa in contrast to the more typical assessments in middle‐class and rural contexts. Spot observations were used to assess universal caregiving behaviors toward seventy‐six 3‐month‐old infants. Results show that middle‐class infants experienced distal parenting behaviors instantiated by mothers, whereas rural children experienced proximal parenting practices in interactions with others. Infants growing up in poverty had mothers and other caretakers involved at mostly low levels. They experienced low levels of body contact, body stimulation, and object stimulation, and high levels of face‐to‐face positions. The study indicates that caregiving in the context of poverty does not necessarily follow familiar pathways and needs to be contextualized accordingly.     

Exclusion Expected? Cardiac Slowing Upon Peer Exclusion Links Preschool Parent Representations to School-Age Peer Relationships

Attachment theory proposes that children’s representations of interactions with caregivers guide information-processing about others, bridging interpersonal domains. In a longitudinal study (N = 165), preschoolers (M_age = 5.19 years) completed the MacArthur Story Stem Battery to assess parent representations. At school-age (M_age = 8.42 years), children played a virtual ballgame with peers who eventually excluded them to track event-related cardiac slowing, a physiological correlate of rejection, especially when unexpected. At both ages, parents and teachers reported on peer and emotional problems. During exclusion versus inclusion-related events, cardiac slowing was associated with greater positive parent representations and fewer emerging peer problems. Cardiac slowing served as a mediator between positive parent representations and peer problems, supporting a potential psychophysiological mechanism underlying the generalization of attachment-related representations to peer relationships.     

A comparative study of two pre-service teacher preparation programmes in the USA and Romania

This article presents an overall exploratory comparison of two specific pre-service teacher preparation programmes at two research-intensive institutions of higher education in the USA and Romania. The main conclusions suggest that US and Romanian teacher candidates differ very little in their ratings of their respective programmes in terms of learning in the programme, preparation for general teaching and twenty-first century skills. The largest differences were recorded for the university supervisor and cooperating teacher constructs, which the US teacher candidates rated considerably higher than their Romanian peers, namely in the quality and extent of applied field and clinical experiences, which merit further exploration.     

Pre-Service Elementary Teachers Bridge the Gap Between Research and Practice

The goal of this study was to examine the two related links of research to teaching practice and teaching practice to research that pre-service elementary teachers made during an action research project focusing on a conceptual-change teaching experience with elementary school students. Data were collected from the final written reports from 144 groups of students. Analysis of the data by the process of grounded theory showed that the majority of students (96%) were able to link current educational research successfully to their teaching practice while fewer students (16%) were able to link their teaching practice back to the research base. Many students (30%), however, found new knowledge in the form of identifying new misconceptions or finding previously reported misconceptions with new populations or confirming prior research. Preliminary results (n = 17) based on the changes to the course showed significant improvement.     

Assessment of student learning: Evolution of objectives in engineering education and the consequences for assessment

The focus of objectives of engineering education has evolved from knowledge to skills. This is a logical consequence of the changing demands of employers of graduated engineers. This change is referred to as a paradigm shift in engineering education. It is therefore not surprising that the views on assessment of student learning are changing as well. In this paper the relation between the demands and the educational objectives are reviewed. Consequently, the implications for assessment are discussed. Assessment is introduced as a feedback procedure. It is discussed that in fact four different feedback pathways can be identified. Finally, the relation between educational methods and their relation to assessment is discussed in detail. As an example, the problems in assessment of group work are discussed.     

Segmental sequencing of kinetic energy in a computer-simulated golf swing

The concept of the transfer of kinetic energy (KE) sequentially through the human body from proximal to distal segments is an influential concept in biomechanics literature. The present study develops this area of research through investigation of segmental sequencing of the transfer of KE by means of computer simulation. Using a musculoskeletal computer model previously developed by the authors, driven using three-dimensional kinematic data from a single elite male golfer, combined inverse and forward dynamics analyses enabled derivation of KE. Rigid body segments of torso, hips, arms and clubhead were examined in line with previous literature. Using this method a driver swing was compared to a 7 iron swing. Findings showed a high level of correlation between driver and iron peak KE and timing of peak KE relative to impact. This seems to indicate equivalent trunk and arms linear velocity, thus force applied, for an iron shot and a driver shot. There were highly significant differences between KE output for body segments for both clubs. In addition, peak KE magnitudes increased sequentially from proximal to distal segments during swing simulations for both the driver and 7 iron. This supports the principle of the summation of speed. However, timing of peak KE was not sequential from proximal to distal segments, nor did segments peak simultaneously. Rather, arms peaked first, followed by hips, torso and club. This seems to indicate a subjective optimal coordination of sequencing.